Note: This article contains spoilers
In China, there are about 6 million people with cerebral palsy (scientific name: cerebral palsy), but we rarely see them in our daily lives. Due to traditional concepts and cognitive biases, many people's understanding of cerebral palsy remains superficial; at the same time, because the living conditions of people with cerebral palsy are different from those of the general public, many of them face problems such as limited physical functions, low social participation, and difficulty integrating into the social environment.
For example, for a long time in the past, the word "cerebral palsy" was simply equated with "idiot" in the public's cognition. This misconception deepened the prejudice against this group and led to their extremely low visibility in society. In fact, cerebral palsy is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects motor control ability and is not directly related to intelligence level. Over the years, with the increase in media coverage and the increase in public figures such as talk show actor Xiaojia, the common sense that "cerebral palsy ≠ idiot" has become widely accepted.
Despite the reduction in prejudice, most people still know little about the lives of people with cerebral palsy. For example, many people may wonder: Are they the same as the so-called ordinary people like us?
Yes. They have the same desires and needs as you do. This is the original intention of the narrative of "Little Me".
Poster of "Little Me"
Level gaze
"Little Me" tells the story of Liu Chunhe (played by Yi Yang Qianxi), a young man with cerebral palsy, during his 20-year-old summer vacation. The film presents Liu Chunhe's world to the audience with a level gaze and a technique close to plain description.
Liu Chunhe's life is full of challenges due to abnormal muscle tension, poor posture control, poor motor coordination, unclear pronunciation and difficulty in expression. He is eager to integrate into society and find a job to prove his worth, but reality has set many obstacles for him.
Liu Chunhe (played by Yi Yang Qianxi)
For example, when he applied for a teaching position at a training institution, although he could explain the course content very well, he was rejected due to his image and expression problems; when he applied for a job at a coffee shop, he walked back and forth in the shop with difficulty, put aside his dignity and loudly announced the names of dishes, trying harder and harder to prove that people with cerebral palsy could also do this job. Little did he know that the owner did not recognize his ability, but used his cerebral palsy to gain some "benefits" for the coffee shop...
The students' innocent labeling of Liu Chun and Tong Yan as "mentally ill" was unintentional but more cruel.
In addition to the cold reception from the outside world, the relationships within the family also brought Liu Chunhe a more complicated emotional experience.
Mother Chen Lu (played by Jiang Qinqin) has a deep and tangled love for Liu Chunhe. On the one hand, due to an accident during childbirth, Liu Chunhe suffered from cerebral palsy, and this guilt often made her blame herself. She tried to make up for her guilt and uneasiness by controlling every aspect of Chunhe's life. Chen Lu strictly controlled Chunhe's future plans, daily behavior and even emotional expression, which suppressed Liu Chunhe's autonomy and personality development to a certain extent, and also made Liu Chunhe feel painful.
Chen Lu (played by Jiang Qinqin)
On the other hand, Chen Lu made great sacrifices for Liu Chunhe and gave up the life she might have had, which made her attitude towards Liu Chunhe contradictory: she wanted to protect him from the outside world, but she also unconsciously conveyed a subconscious dissatisfaction and resentment.
In order to make up for her regret, Chen Lu became a mother again, but she concealed this news from Liu Chunhe. For Liu Chunhe, who had already been marginalized, this deepened his anxiety about the value of his own existence.
Liu Chunhe also had moments of self-abandonment
The delicate writing of the female screenwriter breaks the myth of the "perfect mother" in traditional concepts and acknowledges that every mother has her own limitations and emotional needs. The film conveys an important message: mothers are not saints who are born to sacrifice themselves unconditionally. They have their own needs and rights to express their emotions as individuals. This provides a new perspective for re-examining the relationship within the family.
Although the film shows the difficulties and challenges in Liu Chunhe's life, it always keeps a level eye on him. The film does not portray Liu Chunhe as someone who needs sympathy or pity.
He received the deep, selfless and complete love from his grandmother (played by Lin Xiaojie). The grandmother took care of, accompanied and protected Liu Chunhe meticulously; she did not force Chunhe to do things he did not like, and when Liu Chunhe wanted to integrate into society, she supported him with all her strength, gave him the greatest encouragement and trust; she infected Liu Chunhe with her optimistic and open-minded attitude...
Grandma (played by Lin Xiaojie)
Liu Chunhe himself also has a rich emotional world and a strong sense of self, just like millions of ordinary people like us.
He longs for recognition and hopes to fulfill his grandmother's wish, so he learns to play drums. Faced with the physical disability and social prejudice brought by cerebral palsy, he never gives up his pursuit of independence. Despite repeated rejections, he still looks for jobs everywhere and strives for opportunities for himself. He has an ideal university and wants to earn his tuition. He is full of yearning for love and bravely pursues Yaya. He also has troubles and pains, such as uncertainty about the future and worries about social acceptance... The audience can see the growth trajectory of an ordinary young man, but his growth path is more tortuous.
Yi Yang Qianxi perfectly interpreted Liu Chunhe and contributed a world-class performance, making everything Liu Chunhe experienced convincing.
Normal desire
This kind of “level-viewing” is actually not enough. As Liu Chunhe said, “In the eyes of most people, people like us only have the needs of eating, drinking, defecating and urinating.” This is a common prejudice in society.
For example, we still dare not look directly at their lust.
The public tends to view cerebral palsy patients as those who need special care, ignoring that they also have a rich emotional world and human desires. Due to the lack of sufficient understanding and contact opportunities, ordinary people are prone to form stereotypes, believing that special groups can only meet the most basic needs of life, and selectively ignore their sexual expression and sexual experience.
The current education system is relatively weak in terms of protecting the rights of people with disabilities, and the dissemination of knowledge on gender equality, reproductive health, etc. is extremely limited. Schools and families usually do not take the initiative to teach children how to properly treat different types of people with disabilities, let alone discuss their sexual health issues in depth. The younger generation continues to follow the wrong ideas of the previous generation and finds it difficult to establish a scientific and reasonable cognitive framework.
In addition, in domestic public opinion, talking about sex was once given a certain degree of taboo. When facing vulnerable groups such as cerebral palsy, people are even more reluctant to touch this sensitive area.
However, sexual needs are one of the basic needs of human beings, which is related to the individual's physical and mental satisfaction and happiness. For patients with cerebral palsy, their sexual needs are also worthy of respect and attention.
The breakthrough significance of the film lies in that it looks at Liu Chunhe's lust in a level headed way.
The appearance of Yaya (played by Zhou Yutong) was like a ray of light, breaking into Liu Chunhe's life. Her healthy physique and energetic image immediately attracted Liu Chunhe's attention.
Yaya (played by Zhou Yutong)
Yaya is a young person with her own life confusion. After returning to her hometown, she lives a seemingly happy and fulfilling life, but she is confused inside. When she met Liu Chunhe, she was initially interested in observation - this person who was different from what she had known before aroused her curiosity. Yaya took the initiative to approach Liu Chunhe, not with sympathy or confusion, but interacting with him in an equal way. This made Liu Chunhe feel unprecedented comfort and ease.
Liu Chunhe soon developed a deep affection for Yaya that went beyond ordinary friendship and included spiritual compatibility, a yearning for a healthy body, sexual excitement, and a vision of future possibilities.
He had sexual fantasies about Yaya, which was both novel and exciting. Due to the limitations of his physical condition and the influence of social concepts, Liu Chunhe had complex psychological activities about his sexual desire. He wanted to experience the beauty of love like an ordinary person - in his dreams, he ran and jumped like an ordinary person, running hand in hand with Yaya in the wilderness; but he was also worried that his special condition would cause trouble or burden to Yaya. In the face of this desire, Liu Chunhe showed great restraint and hesitation.
When Liu Chunhe mustered up the courage to express his love to Yaya, she chose to escape. Because from the beginning to the end, she was only curious about Liu Chunhe, even with a little curiosity. She was more concerned about her own feelings and situation, and satisfied her own ideas, rather than the misunderstandings that her perhaps ambiguous words and actions might bring to Liu Chunhe.
But Yaya is not wrong in essence. She is just an ordinary young person who is in the stage of exploring herself and planning her life. She is curious about many people and things, and quickly withdraws when faced with difficulties and challenges. She is not yet capable enough to bear a complicated relationship, nor does she have enough courage to face the pressure and criticism from the outside world. Her escape is the most in line with her own interests within her current cognition and ability, and is a manifestation of the self-protection mechanism that is prevalent in human nature.
Therefore, Yaya's appearance in the film is not an abrupt stroke, but she cleverly assumes multiple roles. She opens a window of desire for Liu Chunhe's world, allowing this young man with cerebral palsy to experience unprecedented emotional fluctuations. The film thus looks at the sexual needs of people with cerebral palsy; it also shows in a subtle way a common attitude of society towards people with cerebral palsy - curious but unwilling to really approach.
Some viewers rejected the movie because of the love scenes in the movie, and even deliberately distorted the love scenes in the movie, which just shows that some ordinary people are prejudiced and narrow-minded. So-called normal people have desires and fantasies, but people with cerebral palsy can't have them? The beautiful feelings between boys and girls can only happen between two so-called normal people? The movie is trying to break the prejudice, but some people are further trapped in this prejudice after watching the movie, which is somewhat regrettable.
"No matter how small or broken an individual is, I am still a complete me." Liu Chunhe's deafening speech at the hearing revealed the importance of personal dignity and emphasized the core indicator of a society's civilization: the living conditions of the weak. As the barrel theory says, the amount of water a barrel can hold does not depend on the highest board on the barrel wall, but on the shortest board. The true civilization of a society is also reflected in how it treats the most vulnerable and needy people. When we discuss happiness and social well-being, we cannot ignore the needs and rights of any individual, especially those who are marginalized. Everyone has the basic right to pursue a good life, regardless of their physical condition, age or economic conditions.
"Little Me" is not only a film about the personal growth of young people with cerebral palsy, it is also like a mirror, reflecting the society's true attitude towards vulnerable groups and our own prejudices, prompting us to reflect and work hard to eliminate the obstacles that prevent them from integrating into society and obtaining happiness.
This is the gentle and noble core of "Little Me".
